I’ve been making this Summer Lunch Salad for years, and this is the perfect lunch to make with fresh garden tomatoes and cucumbers.

PIN this easy Summer Lunch to try it later!

summer lunch salad in serving bowl with fork

For this week’s Friday Favorites pick, I’m reminding you about this delicious and satisfying Summer Lunch Salad! I’ve been making this extra-easy tomato cucumber salad every summer for years, because when you’re growing tomatoes and cucumbers in a garden you reach a point in the summer where you want to eat them every day.

And even now that I no longer have a big garden, I still make this salad all summer long. And I’ve learned that if you use those small Persian cucumbers and the small tomatoes that are good most of the year, you can make this with good results in the spring and fall as well.

And I sometimes try to recreate these flavors by asking for blue cheese dressing to add to a Greek Salad in a restaurant, often to the dismay of the server who thinks I’m crazy. If you like vinaigrette, blue cheese dressing, and Feta cheese, be open minded about the idea of using them in a salad with tomatoes and cucumbers, because I promise you will love this salad.

And when you see how easy and delicious this salad is to make for a summer lunch, you’ll probably make it over and over again just like I do.

What ingredients do you need for this salad?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

What makes this Summer Lunch Salad a wow for me?

This is a simple tomato and cucumber salad, but what turns it into a wow for me, and the reason I’ve been making it for so many years, is the idea of using blue cheese dressing with a touch of vinaigrette in a salad with Feta cheese. I think those flavors are a perfect combination, and obviously it’s something I never get tired of.

What else could you add to the Summer Lunch Salad?

If you want to switch it up occasionally, there are lots of things you could add to this salad such as black olives or Kalamata olives, chopped bell pepper, Sliced Peperoncini Peppers (affiliate link), red onion, chopped herbs, avocado, radishes, shrimp, diced chicken, or tuna.

More Easy Ideas for Summer Lunches: 

You can use Lunch Recipes or Salad Recipes to find more tasty and easy ideas to make for lunch.

Summer Lunch Salad process shots collage

Tips for making my Summer Lunch Salad:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

  1. Cut up tomatoes and let them drain in a colander placed in the sink.
  2. Cut ends off cucumbers and discard, and slice cucumbers.
  3. Whisk together the blue cheese dressing and vinaigrette.
  4. Crumble and measure the Feta.
  5. Stir together the drained tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, and desired amount of dressing, then gently mix in the Feta.
  6. Season salad with plenty of fresh-ground black pepper and serve.

Summer Lunch Salad in serving bowl on napkin

More Salads with Tomatoes and Cucumbers:

Want More Summer Tomato Salads?

Check out 20 Summer Tomato Salads for more great recipes for using garden tomatoes.

Summer Lunch Salad in serving bowl on napkin
Yield: 4 servings

Summer Lunch Salad

Prep Time 20 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes

This is a favorite salad I love to make for lunch in the summer and if you can find good cucumbers and tomatoes I'd enjoy this salad any time of year.

Ingredients

Salad Ingredients

  • 6 mini cucumbers (see notes)
  • 6 small tomatoes, cut into quarters and drained
  • 1/2 cup crumbled Feta cheese (or more)
  • fresh-ground black pepper to taste

Dressing Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup blue cheese dressing (see notes)
  • 2 T Vinaigrette Dressing (see notes)

Instructions

  1. Cut tomatoes into quarters or eighths and put them in a colander to drain. Cut off ends of cucumbers and cut into slices. (If you’re not using small mini-cucumbers, you may want to peel them in strips.)
  2. Whisk together the blue cheese dressing and vinaigrette dressing.
  3. Crumble and measure the Feta.
  4. Gently toss together the drained tomatoes and sliced cucumbers with the desired amount of dressing. (I used about 1/4 cup of dressing. Save the rest in the fridge for another salad.)
  5. Gently mix in the Feta.
  6. Season salad to taste with a generous amount of fresh-ground black pepper and serve.
  7. Leftovers of this salad are still pretty good when they’ve been refrigerated overnight, but it’s definitely best when freshly made.
  8. I recommend making the full amount of dressing, but cutting fresh tomatoes and cucumbers each time according to the amount you’ll be eating.

Notes

I prefer to use Persian cucumbers, sometimes called mini-cucumbers; if you have larger cucumbers you might not need so many.  I also used Litehouse Blue Cheese and Newman’s Own Olive Oil and Vinegar Dressing (affiliate link) for this recipe.

This recipe was created by Kalyn.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 253Total Fat: 22gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 26mgSodium: 450mgCarbohydrates: 12gFiber: 2gSugar: 7gProtein: 5g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

Did you make this recipe?

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating (under the PRINT button in the recipe) or share a photo of your results on Instagram! THANKS!

square image of Summer Lunch Salad in serving bowl

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
For lowest carbs for this salad or for Keto dieters, use fewer tomatoes and more cucumber. This may be high in fat for the original South Beach Diet, but if you use  an approved dressing it’s probably a good personal choice for South Beach.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Lunch Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This salad was first posted in 2006, and I’ve been making it for years when I have fresh garden tomatoes and cucumbers! It was updated in 2023 with more information.

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